Rare tropical Sanchezia from Peru with solid green leaves covered with short, fine hairs. Tubular red flowers emerge from the russet-red hairy bracts. As with the other Sanchezias, we suggest planting in a frost-free location with rich, moist, well-drained soil in full to part-shade. Too new to know its climate range, but probably USDA zones 10b - 11.
Acanthaceae

NEW! - This easy to grow tropical plant has tricolored leaves of light green, gold, and cream with purplish stems. In addition, long reddish spikes produce interesting tubular yellow flowers. Plant in part shade with rich, moist soil. Fast growing to a height of 3 to 4 feet. This rare exotic makes a spectacular container plant. Very frost sensitive, so keep warm in winter. This Asian introduction is a sport of either Sanchezia oblonga, parvibracteata, or speciosus, which are native to Central and South America. USDA zones 10 - 11.
Acanthaceae

Glossy green leaves with yellow to cream veins with tubular yellow flowers enclosed by russet-red bracts. Great for tropical background planting. This is a tall growing form to 10 feet tall from Ecuador and Peru. Plant in frost free location, rich, moist, well-drained soil in full to part shade.
Acanthaceae

Culturally, sweet leaf bush has been a popular leafy vegetable in Southeast Asia. It was added to salads and stir-fry for its sweet, nutty flavor and high nutritional value.

Recently, it has been discovered that consuming large amounts of it can cause serious ill effects, including an incurable lung disease. In Taiwan, it is now banned for human consumption. The regional government of Hong Kong also advises against consumption, especially raw, the juice, or in large amounts.

We have a few plants available that might be of interest for use in an ethnobotanical display, for research purposes, or for the horticulturally curious. We do not recommend it for consumption. Grows 3 to 9 feet. Sun or part shade, adequate moisture. USDA zones 11 - 12. Native to South East Asia.
Phyllanthaceae (previously in the Euphorbiaceae family)

NEW! - This flowering plant is a common beach shrub throughout the Indian Ocean and South Pacific, reaching all the way to Hawaii. The flowers are white or cream colored, sometimes with purple streaks, and have an irregular shape with all five petals on one side of the flower, making it appear to have been torn in half. The downy leaves are light green, almost succulent, and the fleshy white berries can float in seawater for months before sprouting. It's a large dense shrub growing up to 9 feet in height, but usually kept much lower as a sprawling hedge. It is often used for beach landscaping, to prevent coastal erosion, and to protect other plants from salt spray. Because the Naupaka has this unique half-flower, ancient Hawaiians believed that it was the incarnation of lovers separated. The pleasantly fragrant flowers and corky seeds are sometimes made into Hawaiian leis. In Florida, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and throughout the Caribbean, it has become invasive, pushing out native plants. For this reason, it is not allowed to be shipped to these areas. No frost or cold weather. USDA zones 10 -12.
Goodeniaceae

Note: Justicia aurea is also known by the common name of Golden Plume.

This Brazilian tropical plant with wide dark green glossy leaves produces 4 inch yellow brush-like bracts with pale yellow flowers. It grows up to 4 feet in height and needs moist soil and full shade. Be sure to give protection from frost. The botanical name is quite confused and needs work by botanists. In the 1800's, the original S. calicotricha was recognized as a different species from S. fulvicoma but is now considered by some to be the same plant. Another Schaueria is now widely known as Schaueria fulvicoma but it does match the botanical description. We are offering it as Schaueria sp. Lime Puff.
Acanthaceae

A very different tropical plant with large bright yellow feather duster heads from which protrude white shrimp-like flowers. The shiny dark green foliage is narrow and lance-shaped. Grows 3 to 4 feet high in full sun in warm humid locations or bright shade elsewhere. It has a shrub-like habit and is best to prune occasionally to keep compact. Blooms all year in a tropical climate or warm greenhouse. Probably will not take any frost, so give winter protection. A real eye catcher that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Can be used as a cut flower and in Hawaii for making an unusual lei, where the common name is "Lime Puff". Its botanical name is quite confused. It is being listed by many as Schaueria flavicoma from Brazil. But S. flavicoma (proper name: S. calycotricha) has broad leaves, prefers shade, and has creamy yellow flowers - a very different plant. So, we are listing it as an unknown species, although it could be an unlikely hybrid. Probably native to Central or South America.
Acanthaceae

NEW! - This is a very rare unusual looking schefflera with large jagged maple-like leaves that are deeply serrated and pointed at the tips. New growth is bronze colored, later turning to dark green as the compound leaves mature. Image of the flower stalk is at top of page. Most botanical gardens list it as a cultivar of Schefflera actinophylla, but some disagree. Images from Denver Botanical Garden do seem to show older leaves on a mature plant not as deeply serrated and indeed more typical of the species. Plant explorer and hybridizer, John Banta of Altha, Florida, introduced it to the U.S. sometime prior to 2002. It was briefly put into tissue culture by Agristarts at the time. However, it was soon taken off the market and is now rarely offered. Banta had been quoted in 2008 as saying that 'Nova' definitely is not S. actinophylla and that he originally observed the plant growing in the Philippines but obtained the seed from a plant growing in Indonesia near Jakarta. He did not know the species, and did not believe it to be a hybrid. The mystery remains. It is ideal as a container plant that can be kept 3 to 4 feet tall or planted outside in a tropical environment as a large distinctive specimen plant. Give it rich soil, moisture, and partial to full sun. It is more cold sensitive than other varieties of umbrella tree, defoliating under 40F. If protected from freezing, it should regrow new leaves as temperatures warm. USDA zones 10 - 12.
Araliaceae

Unusual Schefflera with small frilly leaves, beautifully variegated in green and lime-white. Very easy to grow. Even though it can grow to 10 feet, it can be easily trained as a much smaller excellent bonsai specimen. Part shade, average gardening conditions, and protection from frost. Species native to Taiwan. USDA zones 9 - 11.
Araliaceae

NEW! - This is an uncommon variegated form of Palm Grass with long pleated emerald colored leaves, red central veins and margins of bright white arising from deep maroon sheaths. In late fall, older foliage turns reddish as temperatures cool and narrow bottlebrush-like spikes of small greenish flowers rise above the foliage. This clump forming grass grows about 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. Makes a nice specimen for a tropical look with its wide palm-like leaves or as an attractive container plant. Grow in full sun to part shade in rich, moist soil. Occasionally prune back to rejuvenate the clump. It is very tender and will be damaged by the lightest frost. Outside of the tropics, It needs to be overwintered indoors or in a heated greenhouse. From tropical Asia. USDA zones 10 - 12.
Poaceae

Charming dwarf Hawaiian shrub, whose flowers are prized for making bright golden leis that in historical times only chiefs were allowed to wear. Semi-double 1 inch golden flowers, like tiny hibiscus, produced all year long. Easily kept at 12 inches high, it's an excellent and distinctive container plant. 25F.
Malvaceae

Deliciously sweet fruit is provided by this compact, colorful and unusual flowering plant from the Andes. Attractive clusters of 1 inch dark violet star-shaped flowers are followed by 4 to 6 inch purple striped oval fruits, which change from light green to yellow when fully ripe and ready to eat. The fruit has a nearly seedless, juicy flesh which is fragrant and tasty, like a blend of melons, bananas, peaches and pears. Offered are two cutting grown selections which are superior in taste and make attractive flowering plants. 25F.

'Rio Bamba' is a scandent, purple stemmed selection named for the area of Ecuador from which it was collected. 3 inch dark green leaves, free flowering. Cross pollination suggested for maximum fruit production.
Solanaceae

New! - Tropical shade plant with interesting color combination of light green leaves with a creamy blotch in the center. Grows 2 to 4 feet high. Small insignificant pale lilac-colored flowers on thin spikes. It grows in the undergrowth of rain forests and appreciates rich, moist soil. Needs a frost free environment. It's native to the Andean foothills of Bolivia and Paraguay to 3,000 feet in elevation and the Amazon and Atlantic forests of Brazil. Parent plant was collected along Brazil's Rio Grande. There is not much information available on this species and our identification is based on a few images posted on the internet. USDA zones 10 - 12.
Acanthaceae

This beautiful sprawling shrub produces bright trumpet-shaped purplish pink flowers in spring to early summer. Can be pruned as a 4 to 5 foot shrub or allowed to scramble with support up to 15 feet. With its deep green foliage and eye-catching 3 inch flowers, it makes a great background shrub in the tropical landscape. Give sun to light shade (best), good drainage, and rich moist soil. Fast growing. Hardy to 30F. Try it as a protected container plant elsewhere. Found growing along stream banks in its native Bolivia. USDA zones 9b - 11.
Acanthaceae